Garbology

Just heard about 2 minutes of Science Friday with Ira Flatow and voila I've got the subject for today's blog. Ira and some other guy were reading off a list of strange people in the Sciences and I heard the one about the Garbologists of the World. Actually, there's only one Garbologist in the World. These are (this is) people (person) who(s) sift through landfills and peoples' trash in order to study said findings. They do it with the "eye" of an archaeologist. The attention grabber for me was that one of their big findings is that people who own cats read The National Enquirer, i.e., the Garbologists found cat litter wrapped up in National Enquirers while digging around through yours and mine trash at the dump. Repeatedly they found this. They get paid for this shyt -- that's always the real kicker for me.

I rushed to my beloved Wikipedia and Astrodienst assuming that the Garbology profession would be flooded with Pluto in Virgo types as I know that we're all fascinated by human droppings of all kinds (I even saw Cameron Diaz on a talk show saying that she loves to talk about poop. She said it without shame or embarrassment too, she even has Sun in Virgo).

This wasn't the correct surmise, however. The term was coined by a Pluto in Leo guy who was digging through Bob Dylan's trash. And, the profession was founded and maintained at the University of Arizona by an Archaeologist who now teaches at Stanford. They both have Pluto in Leo. Weird thing is: both these guys were born almost within a month of each other in 1945. I had to roll my eyes in Sarcastic knowingness and check how many planets were stationing retrograde during THAT month?

The guy who digs through Bob Dylan's trash:

A.J. Weberman
b. May 26, 1945 location? Upper Class Trash Cans

The guy who teaches how to dig through trash at an Ivy League School:

William Rathje
b. July 1, 1945 location? the Dump

Okay, so, drumroll please. How many planets retrograde when these gentlemen were born? Answer: NONE!!! Okay, so I admit, I know nothing about astrology. I'd like to think that I can eventually learn it, but now I know I'm a lost cause. I don't understand the meaning of retrograde or anything else, but this is a blog, it's experimental, I can't write, I refuse to edit, it's free information. Go bug Noel Tyl or Adrian Duncan Ross or Erin Sullivan or Philip Sedgwick or anybody else if you want real astrology.

Ok, the Gemini guy. It takes a Gemini to coin a phrase. Sun conjunct Uranus. He's not into coining phrases about ordinary stuff. I suppose digging through the trash is a combination of his Saturn in Cancer with his Jupiter and Chiron in Virgo and some sort of sick Hero worship and need to invade the privacy of others. Mars in Aries, that could account for the joy of digging (physical labor). I don't know what his deal is other than to wish him a Happy Mars Return. I used to work with a Sagittarian who refused to dig through the trash can no matter what had been thrown into by mistake and needed to be retrieved so this is truly not a job for everyone.

And the Cancer guy. Cancer rules Archeology. The Fourth House is down at the bottom of the chart and shows all that is one is clinging to and sentimental for. Sun conjunct Saturn and North Node in Cancer with a wide square from Neptune. Well, he chose to dig through trash over suffering the expected depression known for this aspect. Bob Marks says to always throw things out during a Saturn transit, so there you go. Venus and Mars in Taurus, kind of earthy, very conservative, obviously can't let go of much. They're not in conjunction, Thank God, could you imagine having to tell this guy that he's sexy? His Jupiter and Chiron in Virgo are squaring his Uranus in Gemini giving him a keen awareness and oddball fascination in the trends of his Generation. I guess he's a good one to study right after the Cancer Ingress.

There was a lunar eclipse at the end of June and a total Solar Eclipse on July 9 in which Sun-Saturn-Moon and the NN were all in conjunction, so I suppose you might want to say that Cancer and 4th House are somehow related to Garbology and no Retrogrades. Pure and Simple: Cancer can not let go of anything. Would rather sift through trash, make a living off of it even, than let go.

But, you know, the weird thing is, when I had a cat, I actually did read the The National Enquirer every Sunday night. It was kind of a ritual to sit with my Cat and a Beer and to laugh my head off at those stories. And I did stop doing that after the Cat died. Wow! There's something to this! Maybe I'll go sign up for a class.